This Nov. 2018 file photo shows Sanjiv, a Sumatran tiger at the Topeka Zoo in Topeka, Kansas. City officials say Sanjiv mauled a zookeeper early Saturday, April 20, 2019 in a secured indoor space at the zoo.

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1 year ago

Zookeeper Was in the Tiger Habitat. So Was the Tiger

Newser — Polly Davis Doig

A zookeeper at the Topeka Zoo is in stable condition after finding herself on the wrong end of a tiger attack early Saturday. The unnamed woman and a 7-year-old male Sumatran tiger named Sanjiv inadvertently ended up in the outdoor tiger habitat at the same time, and zoo director Brendan Wiley tells Topeka Capital-Journal that when Sanjiv noticed the keeper, "he essentially tackled" her.

"Sanjiv this morning did exactly what a tiger would when something comes into his territory," Wiley said. "There is absolutely no consideration to euthanize Sanjiv." The attack lasted less than 10 minutes, although CBS News notes that the zoo was open and some members of the public did witness it.